About Voices of Meningitis

School nurses have joined together as Voices of Meningitis to reach parents with an important message: although rare, meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial illness that includes meningitis (the inflammation of the protective layer surrounding the brain and spinal cord) and septicemia (blood poisoning), which can potentially cause death or disability in an otherwise healthy teen within just 1 day.1-7

The video tributes you see on this site feature real people sharing their experiences with meningitis. These individuals are committed to raising awareness of this potentially devastating disease and making sure parents understand the importance of vaccination. We urge you to watch these video tributes and learn from their stories.

The National Association of School Nurses’ Voices of Meningitis educational initiative is made possible through a collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur.

Share Your Voice and Boost the Volume

References

  1. Apicella MA. Neisseria meningitidis. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
  2. Atkinson W, Wolfe S, Hamborsky J, McIntyre L, eds. Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (The Pink Book). 12th ed. Washington, DC: Public Health Foundation; 2011.
  3. Erickson LJ, De Wals P, McMahon J, Heim S. Complications of meningococcal disease in college students. Clin Infect Dis.
  4. Thompson MJ, Ninis N, Perera R, et al. Clinical recognition of meningococcal disease in children and adolescents. Lancet.
  5. Stephens DS, Greenwood B, Brandtzaeg P. Epidemic meningitis, meningococcaemia, and Neisseria meningitidis. Lancet. 2007;369(9580):2196-2210.
  6. Tunkel AR, van de Beek D, Scheld MW. Acute meningitis. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010:1189-1229.
  7. World Health Organization (WHO). Meningococcal Meningitis. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs141/en/. Accessed August 28, 2014.